Manoeuvre Warfare And Its Applicability In Mountains History Essay

Manoeuvre Warfare And Its Applicability In Mountains History Essay 1. According to Richard Simpkin, there is normally a 50 year cycle in respect of radical changes in military equipment, force structure and doctrine. Historical evidence conclusively proves that there is a gestation period of 30 50 years before a radical thought process is fully accepted and adopted. This is because of the lengthening Research and development cycle, time lag in introduction and training with new equipment, and organisational inertia of armed forces leading to resistance to change. 2. If we take the thirties when Guderians mechanisation programmes were in full swing, as the effective apogee of a 50 year cycle we might now expect to be at the zenith of the next one. No wonder we find several of the advanced worlds major armed forces in a greater or lesser state of flux. On one hand technological changes in form of top attack systems, compound and reactive armour , rotary wing revolution , lethality of ground and air delivered precision guided munitions and advanced C3I systems are influencing warfare. On the other hand radical changes are taking place in military thought to switch over from Attrition Warfare to Manoeuvre Warfare. The shift away from attrition warfare was first thought about by Liddel Hart and Fuller in twenties. They gave prominence to manoeuvre employing mechanised forces. The Germans led by Guderian grasped these theories and put them into practice in the form of Blitzkreig. The Russians, concurrently with the Germans developed the Deep Operat ion Theory and seriously got down to further refinement of this concept with the help of technological advancements. Israel is a unique case where the Jewish army, recreated after 2000 years, adopted manoeuvre warfare at the onset without going through the agonies of bloodshed, stalemates and defeat through attrition warfare. The 1956, 67 and 73 Arab-Israeli wars now success models for manoeuvre warfare. Such is the inherent inertia of armed forces that it took the military reform movement in US to nearly a decade plus to convince them ti switch over to manoeuvre warfare in the form of Air Land Battle Doctrine which by their own admission was one of the major contributing factors for success in the Gulf War. 3. It is with deep regret that one has to say that the theory of war is not a subject of detailed study in our army leading to knee jerk approach to operational matters. At a time when all major armies are seriously debating and introducing manoeuvre warfare our understanding of the term is in theory only. 4. Today, we have a large standing army- larger than what the Germans had when they institutionalised Blitzkrieg. Technologically it is still shades below the the advanced countries, but when compared to our adversaries it is definitely more advanced. Our overall thinking is governed by attrition/positional warfare. We have not been able to institutionalise our concepts for employment of armed forces. In any future war, unless we have an institutionalised doctrine/concept for their employment, the immense potential of armed forces is unlikely to be fully exploited. 5. Indian army executed the most brilliant campaign based on manoeuvre warfare the Bangladesh War 1971 wherein Bangladesh was liberated at a relatively low cost and the Pakistan Army largely intact was defeated and 93.000 prisoners were captured. By manoeuvre in time and space, the enemy mind was paralysed into inaction. The Bangladesh campaign is taught in foreign countries as the most complete campaign based on manoeuvre warfare. Yet it is an irony that our Army is just loosely following manoeuvre, in both theory as well as practice, for decades now. 6. There is therefore a need to understand, institutionalise and apply the war fighting philosophy of manoeuvre warfare in the present times as it does not permit us a long battle  [2]  . The study focuses on the vital essentials of manoeuvre warfare and analysis how this approach can be satisfactorily applied in mountains and developed terrain in the Indian context. Manoeuvre Warfare 7. The art of achieving great victories at the least cost has been amply and repeatedly demonstrated in history. The single most pronounced factor recognisable in these campaigns and battles is the use of manoeuvre. Manoeuvre has been accepted as the most appropriate form of warfare as opposed to the more costly and rigid form of positional and attrition warfare as seen in First World War. In manoeuvre warfare, the goal is to incapacitate by systematic disruption and dislocation. The target is the coherence of the adversarys combat system, methods and plans. The hope is that a very selective action can have a cascading effect, an effect disproportionately greater than the degree of effort. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 8. The aim of the study is to examine the significance of manoeuvre warfare and to analyse its application in mountains and developed terrain in the Indian context. HYPOTHESIS 9. Manoeuvre warfare is a war fighting philosophy that seeks to shatter the enemys physical and psychological cohesion through a series of rapid and unexpected actions and can be successfully applied in any terrain or scenario from the tactical to the strategic level provided the basic tenets are adhered to. Thus, the concept can be equally and efficiently applied in mountains and developed terrain in the Indian context. JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY 10. The Indian Army Doctrine Section 20: Para 7.14 directs our focus on the intellectual understanding, institutionalisation and implementation of manoeuvre warfare and Directive command  [3]  . The challenge before the Indian Army is to apply this sub doctrine of war fighting and command. The doctrine for war fighting for the future must dwell on What is the swiftest and economically cheapest way to achieve a victory? What is the likely future battlefield scenario in which a war on the sub-continent will be fought? How can this doctrine be applied at the strategic, operational, and tactical level? 11. The answers could lie in the concept of manoeuvre warfare, which seeks to pit own strength against enemys weakness and break his will to fight. Successful application of manoeuvre warfare by Rommel in the North African Deserts in World War II, by Israelis in the 1967 Yom-Kippur war and more recently in Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf war, seems to point out that the Indian Army could consider experimenting with this doctrine. Also, the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) today is about more than building new high-tech weapons, though that is certainly a part of it. Its also about new ways of thinking, new ways of fighting. Preparing for the future will require us to think differently and develop the kinds of forces and capabilities that can adapt quickly to new challenges and to unexpected circumstances  [4]  . The Gulf War is widely accepted as a transitional point to new kind of war. This new war was fought with precision weapons with minimal collateral damage and with vastly improved means of real-time information, surveillance and target acquisition. It was realised that destruction of the enemys means of command and control should be the prime canon of military doctrine. Thus, this kind of warfare, when fully developed would be knowledge based information age warfare characterised by manoeuvre rather than attrition warfare. Another reason due to which many armies have adopted or are considering adopting this style of warfare is due to pressing need to reduce the size of the army in the light of the rising costs of maintaining a large standing army. Manoeuvre warfare relies on speed and audacity rather than numerical superiority and thus meets the requirements of achieving victory with a leaner and smaller army. 12. In the light of the arguments given above the subject Manoeuvre Warfare and its Applicability in mountains and developed terrain has been chosen for the study. SCOPE OF THE STUDY 13. The research shall seek to study the essentials of manoeuvre warfare and its characteristics and to make it more meaningful the study will narrow down its focus on application of manoeuvre warfare in the developed terrain in Indian context. It will concentrate on the aspects needing attention in our thought process and the organisational and institutional changes necessary to facilitate this approach. The basic premise of the research is that manoeuvre warfare is a war fighting philosophy and can be successfully applied in any terrain or scenario from the tactical to strategic level provided the basic tenets are adhered to. ORGANISATION OF THE DISSERTATION 14. The dissertation has been divided into following chapters:- (a) Chapter I. Introduction. (b) Chapter II. Essential elements of Manoeuvre Warfare. (c) Chapter III. Institutionalising Manoeuver Warfare. (d) Chapter IV. Characteristics of Developed Terrain and Challenges in Application of Manoeuvre Warfare in Indian Context (e) Chapter V. Recommendations and Suggested Changes for Application of Manoeuvre Warfare in Developed Terrain. Higher Defence Organisation. Directive Style of Command. Training. Creating an Environment of Military Creativity. Changes at Strategic and Operational Level. Changes at Tactical Level. Application of Strike Corps. Information Dominance. (f) Chapter VI. Conclusion. CONCLUSION 15. The concept of manoeuvre warfare is as much a state of mind as it is a theory. It emphasizes the importance of seizing the initiative and maintaining the initiative. It is a style of warfare that encourages the degradation of the enemy through disorientation, disruption and dislocation and finally destruction of his tactical cohesion. It is a concept that is more psychological than physical. It is indirect rather than direct approach to conflict. Manoeuvre warfare has application across the entire spectrum of conflict from strategy to tactics. 16. Only the study of manoeuvre warfare as a theory will serve no purpose to professional soldier. The applicability of this concept, especially in developed terrain in the western sector, has been examined in this study. 17. Also, important institutional and organisational changes must follow and support doctrinal change, if new doctrine is to be fully realised in action. Manoeuvre warfare provides an excellent and economical method for successful execution of war fighting in futuristic battlefield scenario especially in developed terrain. We need to learn and understand its intricacies and implement its tenets in peace and war. We in the twentieth century have two thousand years of fighting experience behind us, and if we still must fight a war, we have no excuse for not fighting it well. TE Lawrence

Waiting for Godot

â€Å"Waiting For Godot† is a play by Samuel Beckett in which the two main characters Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot. Both men talk like they know who he is but also agree that if they were to see Godot they wouldn't recognize him. The play isn't one that I like but I do like the message that I perceived. In my opinion the play is about finding what makes you, you; finding what you live for and finding God. â€Å"Waiting For Godot† takes place in a desolate area where the two men, Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree. Vladimir, one of the main characters also goes by the nickname Didi given to him by Estragon. Didi seems to be more mature than his friend. Estragon or Gogo, has a poor memory and looks to Didi for help and protection. Pozzo is a blind man who passes by the two men but later doesn't recall meeting them. Pozzo has a slave named Lucky, although he's a slave he's entertaining and smart. Later in the play he becomes ignorant. There is also a boy who comes each night to inform Didi and Gogo that Godot will not be coming but every night insists he hasn't come the night before. Lastly, Godot who never appears in the play although he's being waited for. Through out the play Vladimir and Estragon just wait by a tree for Godot, a few people pass through and although Godot fails to appear the men still wait in fear that they might miss him. This play is also a product of the Absurdist movement. The belief of the theater of the absurd is that without God human existence is meaningless. In these plays it's mostly irrational and illogical communication. Man acts like a puppet, they have no meaning and are controlled by an invisible outside force. Godot is the outside force controlling what Vladimir and Estragon do because they sit and wait for him. There is no plot change and not much action in the play, it's mostly conversation about random thoughts or actions. In my opinion I believe the play is boring, but the message portrayed is interesting. The reason the play is dull is because each character has no meaning. The whole play is basically conversation and nothing happens. Then again a lot of good messages come out of a whole lot of nothing. Didi and Gogo are simply two men and because they do not have Godot in their lives they are merely just two men. They have no meaning and the message in the play is that you have to find who you are, what you live for, and mostly that without God life has no meaning. In the play â€Å"Waiting For Godot†, Godot portrays God. Although you can not see God, it's believed that he's an invisible force or soul that is always there. In the theater of the absurd it says without God life is meaningless. In this play Godot or God never shows up, therefore a sign that God isn't there and their lives were pointless and were being controlled by this false belief. If Godot would have been there Didi and Gogo's waiting would have been for a reason. Samuel Beckett's play â€Å"Waiting For Godot† is a product of the Absurdist movement. The two main characters are waiting the whole time for Godot also thought of as God. Vladimir and Estagon have no meaning in their lives because Godot never shows up. None of the characters know where they belong in life or who they really are because each character changes from on extreme to the other. Didi and Gogo are being controlled by the unknown which only proves how important believing in something is, although it can't be seen. The main point and meaning in this play is that without God, mankind is nothing. Waiting for Godot â€Å"Waiting For Godot† is a play by Samuel Beckett in which the two main characters Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot. Both men talk like they know who he is but also agree that if they were to see Godot they wouldn't recognize him. The play isn't one that I like but I do like the message that I perceived. In my opinion the play is about finding what makes you, you; finding what you live for and finding God. â€Å"Waiting For Godot† takes place in a desolate area where the two men, Vladimir and Estragon wait near a tree. Vladimir, one of the main characters also goes by the nickname Didi given to him by Estragon. Didi seems to be more mature than his friend. Estragon or Gogo, has a poor memory and looks to Didi for help and protection. Pozzo is a blind man who passes by the two men but later doesn't recall meeting them. Pozzo has a slave named Lucky, although he's a slave he's entertaining and smart. Later in the play he becomes ignorant. There is also a boy who comes each night to inform Didi and Gogo that Godot will not be coming but every night insists he hasn't come the night before. Lastly, Godot who never appears in the play although he's being waited for. Through out the play Vladimir and Estragon just wait by a tree for Godot, a few people pass through and although Godot fails to appear the men still wait in fear that they might miss him. This play is also a product of the Absurdist movement. The belief of the theater of the absurd is that without God human existence is meaningless. In these plays it's mostly irrational and illogical communication. Man acts like a puppet, they have no meaning and are controlled by an invisible outside force. Godot is the outside force controlling what Vladimir and Estragon do because they sit and wait for him. There is no plot change and not much action in the play, it's mostly conversation about random thoughts or actions. In my opinion I believe the play is boring, but the message portrayed is interesting. The reason the play is dull is because each character has no meaning. The whole play is basically conversation and nothing happens. Then again a lot of good messages come out of a whole lot of nothing. Didi and Gogo are simply two men and because they do not have Godot in their lives they are merely just two men. They have no meaning and the message in the play is that you have to find who you are, what you live for, and mostly that without God life has no meaning. In the play â€Å"Waiting For Godot†, Godot portrays God. Although you can not see God, it's believed that he's an invisible force or soul that is always there. In the theater of the absurd it says without God life is meaningless. In this play Godot or God never shows up, therefore a sign that God isn't there and their lives were pointless and were being controlled by this false belief. If Godot would have been there Didi and Gogo's waiting would have been for a reason. Samuel Beckett's play â€Å"Waiting For Godot† is a product of the Absurdist movement. The two main characters are waiting the whole time for Godot also thought of as God. Vladimir and Estagon have no meaning in their lives because Godot never shows up. None of the characters know where they belong in life or who they really are because each character changes from on extreme to the other. Didi and Gogo are being controlled by the unknown which only proves how important believing in something is, although it can't be seen. The main point and meaning in this play is that without God, mankind is nothing.

Montclair State University Essay

Negative changes in financial conditions can disturb even the most flexible individual. Mixed this with a death of a loved one and one is more likely to perform below expectations. These were the events that led to the drop in my GPA. In the Fall of 2004, my father informed me that he would stop providing for my education. This had been a surprise since because he promised to help me out with my studies until I finish college. He was doing well financially that I couldn’t understand why he made that decision. He didn’t even offer an explanation and he refused to talk to me about it. In a snap of a finger, he had cut me off his life. After that massive blow, I get myself together and went on with my life. I took two jobs to pay for my education. I lived with my grandparents to save on the rent. I struggled to finish the school year out and I did. However, the new role that I have to assume, that is being the sole provider for myself had stressed me so much that my GPA suffered. And as they say, when it rains, it pours. In 2005, my grandmother died and my grandfather was diagnosed with a lung cancer. I spent the year coping with what seemed to me a mocking twist of fate. During that time, my main goal was to survive each day. I was oblivious to what is happening around me. The plans I had for my future seemed to belong to another lifetime. Fortunately, in January 2006, things began to pick up. I started to do some volunteer work. During my free time, I am a volunteer EMT for the Maplewood first aid squad. I loved it from the moment I started. It gave me a new zest for life. Helping others made me feel good about myself. I realized that I can always be of service to others despite my own constraints. Fate rewarded this effort after a few months. In September 2006, I became a visiting student in Montclair State University for the school year 2006-2007. I was anxious at first but I soon found my place. It felt like coming come. During my stay as a visiting student, the students and the faculty members of Montclair University didn’t treat me as outsider. They were very warm and friendly. They made me want to stay. This is my reason for wanting to transfer to this university. My stay also provided me with a glimpse of the quality of education in MSU. And based on my experience, I would say that MSU offers a high quality education at an affordable price. Given my current situation, I believe that transferring to this university is the best investment I could make for my future. I also think that I could be a good investment for MSU if it admits me as I am a very determined, hardworking and innovative person. These were the qualities that made me triumph over adversity and I believe that these same traits would make me excel in whatever field I have chosen for myself.

Green Revolution History and Overview

The term Green Revolution refers to the renovation of agricultural practices beginning in Mexico in the 1940s. Because of its success in producing more agricultural products there, Green Revolution technologies spread worldwide in the 1950s and 1960s, significantly increasing the number of calories produced per acre of agriculture. History and Development of the Green Revolution The beginnings of the Green Revolution are often attributed to Norman Borlaug, an American scientist interested in agriculture. In the 1940s, he began conducting research in Mexico and developed new disease resistance high-yield varieties of wheat. By combining Borlaugs wheat varieties with new mechanized agricultural technologies, Mexico was able to produce more wheat than was needed by its own citizens, leading to them becoming an exporter of wheat by the 1960s. Prior to the use of these varieties, the country was importing almost half of its wheat supply. Due to the success of the Green Revolution in Mexico, its technologies spread worldwide in the 1950s and 1960s. The United States, for instance, imported about half of its wheat in the 1940s but after using Green Revolution technologies, it became self-sufficient in the 1950s and became an exporter by the 1960s. In order to continue using Green Revolution technologies to produce more food for a growing population worldwide, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation, as well as many government agencies around the world funded increased research. In 1963 with the help of this funding, Mexico formed an international research institution called The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. Countries all over the world, in turn, benefited from the Green Revolution work conducted by Borlaug and this research institution. India, for example, was on the brink of mass famine in the early 1960s because of its rapidly growing population. Borlaug and the Ford Foundation then implemented research there and they developed a new variety of rice, IR8, that produced more grain per plant when grown with irrigation and fertilizers. Today, India is one of the worlds leading rice producers and IR8 rice usage spread throughout Asia in the decades following the rices development in India. Plant Technologies of the Green Revolution The crops developed during the Green Revolution were high yield varieties - meaning they were domesticated plants bred specifically to respond to fertilizers and produce an increased amount of grain per acre planted. The terms often used with these plants that make them successful are harvest index, photosynthate allocation, and insensitivity to day length. The harvest index refers to the above-ground weight of the plant. During the Green Revolution, plants that had the largest seeds were selected to create the most production possible. After selectively breeding these plants, they evolved to all have the characteristic of larger seeds. These larger seeds then created more grain yield and a heavier above ground weight. This larger above ground weight then led to an increased photosynthate allocation. By maximizing the seed or food portion of the plant, it was able to use photosynthesis more efficiently because the energy produced during this process went directly to the food portion of the plant. Finally, by selectively breeding plants that were not sensitive to day length, researchers like Borlaug were able to double a crop’s production because the plants were not limited to certain areas of the globe based solely on the amount of light available to them. Impacts of the Green Revolution Since fertilizers are largely what made the Green Revolution possible, they forever changed agricultural practices because the high yield varieties developed during this time cannot grow successfully without the help of fertilizers. Irrigation also played a large role in the Green Revolution and this forever changed the areas where various crops can be grown. For instance, before the Green Revolution, agriculture was severely limited to areas with a significant amount of rainfall, but by using irrigation, water can be stored and sent to drier areas, putting more land into agricultural production - thus increasing nationwide crop yields. In addition, the development of high yield varieties meant that only a few species of say, rice started being grown. In India, for example, there were about 30,000 rice varieties prior to the Green Revolution, today there are around ten - all the most productive types. By having this increased crop homogeneity though the types were more prone to disease and pests because there were not enough varieties to fight them off. In order to protect these few varieties then, pesticide use grew as well. Finally, the use of Green Revolution technologies exponentially increased the amount of food production worldwide. Places like India and China that once feared famine have not experienced it since implementing the use of IR8 rice and other food varieties. Criticism of the Green Revolution Along with the benefits gained from the Green Revolution, there have been several criticisms. The first is that the increased amount of food production has led to overpopulation worldwide. The second major criticism is that places like Africa have not significantly benefited from the Green Revolution. The major problems surrounding the use of these technologies here though are a lack of infrastructure, governmental corruption, and insecurity in nations. Despite these criticisms though, the Green Revolution has forever changed the way agriculture is conducted worldwide, benefiting the people of many nations in need of increased food production.